Of all the possible managerial appointments I envisioned at Burton this summer, Paul Peschisolido getting the job was not what I had in mind.

The diminutive striker, a cult hero in his days with the Rams during the reign of Uncle George and Wee Billy, has taken over at the Albion along with another former Ram Gary Rowett, who comes in as sidekick at the Pirelli. Pesch seems a strange choice given that Burton will play league football for the first time and that the little man has no previous managerial experience, but I imagine every Derby fan will be looking at Burton’s results even closer than usual from hereon in.

Famous for the coffee cup goal against Forest in 2004 (has it been that long?), Pesch will forever be remembered in the hearts of Rams fans but I am unsure about the potential for success here; I have got Burton down to be relegated given the almighty changes that need to take place at the club in order for them to be ready for the rigours of full time league football but that aside I wish him all the best.

As for Nigel’s current charges; it appears the alleged bid for Blackpool’s Shaun Barker, believed to be in the region of £400,000 has been rejected by the seaside club. The defender, who has just a year left on his contract, is seen to be one of Blackpool’s better players and the club probably should be holding out for more than half a million, especially since the Rams must be considered an equal given their relatively similar performances this season.

Elsewhere, one of Billy’s shoddy signings, Andy Todd, has pitched his tent in Australia, signing for Perth Glory after his release from Pride Park. To my thinking, Todd has just two positive moments in the shirt his Dad famously wore; his debut in which his late equaliser earned the Rams one of their paltry eleven points in the Premier League and the home Carling Cup semi against Manchester United, where he was pretty masterful in handling the likes of Tevez et al.

Aside from that he was barely recognisable as an experienced and capable Premier League defender and should be added to the list of deals in which we’ve been robbed by Blackburn – along with the transfers of Robbie Savage and Jay McEveley.

Hopefully the days of such deals have passed.

Photo: Action Images

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